Do You have a credit card?

[SamanthaJane]

Just wondering how many do/dont have a credit card...

I've always told myself never to get one... i'm afraid i'd just start using it tooo much and run myself into debt... but then i think maybe i should get one eventually for emergencies or something ??

So do you have one, do u use it, or do u not have one at all?

[~EmsMum~]

Nope, won't have one and never will!

[Niki]

my df has one but we only use it if we wana buy something off ebay which isnt very often

[FourAngelKisses]

We have one, it gets used on weeks when we run short on money and need to buy bread and milk etc. It only has a $2000 limit and that lasts us all year, then it gets paid off at the end of the financial year.

[misskittyfantastico]

We have one and we use it fairly regularly BUT we always pay it off at the end of each month, otherwise the late fees are incredible!

[razzle]

Our regular everyday account is a credit card, so we use it for everything. I have 2 others that I use regularly as well. I couldn't live without them!

[FourAngelKisses]

My inlaws have a few CC's and last year ended up with a $55 000 debt. MIL has control of the finances and wouldn't listen when we told her to cut all of them up except 1.

[Goosie22]

Hi,
I use credit cards and I find them useful as a tool to manage my money and gain the most out of our investments. They are also good for keeping your money offsetting your loans we only need to actually pay one bill out of our account each month (which saves $$$$ on interest payments). All your transactions are recorded and you see where you are waisting money on luxury items that you simply dont need.

I dont think you need to be afraid of debt, debt can be a very good thing in the long run if you have self control.

[KarniF00l]

yes we use ours as a back up or if we need it to buy things like tickets to a gig over the net. We hardly use it.

[bearsmummy]

my DF and i have one and have used it for emergencies etc when money has been tight, i dont see the problem if you can manage your finances well and stay in control :D

[Illusional]

I dont have one and wont get one - simply because I cant afford one and have seen too many people get in debt using them.
If I could afford to get one and really needed one - Id obviously get one with no monthly service fee and a minimum of 30 days interest free on it.

If I need to make a credit card purchase online or wherever - I use my Visa Debit Card instead.

[M O P]

We have debit Visa cards.
We can purchase things over the phone or net but you have to have money in the account to use it.
We have another savings account set up with the bank that we have $200 automatically transferred in to each month and other money when we can afford it. We can transfer to and from over the net or phone. This is our emergency money.

[Mum&bubs]

Nope, dont have one i dont trust myself :laughing: I do have a debit card though so i can still buy things off the internet etc etc.

[subaruforestermum]

Yes, we got one when we bought our new computer on 24 months interest free.....since then we have used it for a bond on the house, and rego.....but nothing else as it has already reached over $3000, and now we are just paying it off, along with everything else.. We keep it for emergencies though.

[Ana Gram]

Nope and will never have one. I have a visa debit card which means I can buy things on the net but only using the money I have. If I want something but don't have the money, I simply save up until I do have the money.

[Percy]

I have a joint card with DH.

Its used for emergencies and things for DS. but i dont use it for anything else, otherwise i have to justify what i have bought.

DH never denies me anything, but i know he gets frustrated when we are meant to be on a tight budget.

[Minke]

We have a couple - i love them, DH hates them. One is soley in my name, 2 are in DH's and i have additional cards to his. I got one in my name purely so i could get my own credit rating - i had never had credit in my name. I used to sign people up for GE (where did the evil emoticon go? :laughing: ) and came across so many women who had always had stuff in their husbands name, and their DH had either left them or passed and they could not get loans or any type of credit!

A girl i used to work with had a card for emergencies - she kept it in the freezer in a container of water, so she coudn't use it on impulse, and had to wait for it to defrost! She said by the time it defrosted she would have thought about it and usually decided against it!

[LilShenanigans]

Oooh I like the freezer thing lol I might do that with my eftpos card!!!

I don't have a CC and I can NOT be trusted with one! I'm addicted to impulse buys, I haven't needed one in the past and probably never will - I have a good credit history though with electricity companies/phone companies/water etc. And if by chance I did need one, I ask my dad who asks for money and then buys stuff - usually on the net :thumbsup:
Oh and I actually am using my sister's at the moment too! Needed CC to get online, so I paid 6 months worth and she let me put her details in :D

[Fitmumma]

We use ours regularly, the credit limit is ridiculous:banghead: we shouldnt have one as we are both as bad at spending as the other!!!

[Melo]

We've got one and its used regularly as we get points for every $1 spent which we then transfer and use for Qantas Frequent Flyer points - We had enough to fly us to QLD this year! We are always in credit on the card though.. Thank god for internet banking!!!

[MeeG]

No and i dont want one, i think im too young n jus get myself into trouble:p

[Mamaduke]

I've got one that I've had for over 10 years - it's only a $500 limit...enough to get you by...not enough to get you into trouble...was the co-op's suggestion when I first applied. I remember I tried to increase the limit at one stage (when I was about 24 - wanted to go on a holiday!)only to be told by the co-op
"you're doing fine with the amount you've got now...you don't want to go getting yourself into too much trouble!" - there's one for the books, a bank that acts like your 'good angel'...:rolleyes:
When DH and I were married we got a credit card together and in almost 8 years we've never paid a cent of interest on it - thank God I married a man who's good with money!!
Goosie mentioned that you've got all of your transactions written in black and white with a credit card - sometimes that can be used in evidence against me!:o
I'm trying to get DH to change to an offset loan for our mortgage because he's the type of person who could do that easily (and of course I'd just tag along!)

[Areca]

We have one and use it to buy everything, then pay it off at the end of the month. We are smart with it though and don't buy things we can't afford. Ours has a points system. We just got $400 worth of david jones vouchers so we could buy some much needed things for the house. We are broke right now and don't have that money to spend, we got $400 worth of stuff just because we use a credit card instead of cash. Works out great for us! Oh yeah, we also got a blender, valued at $100.

[reAllytee]

We have one as a joint account which gets used every day for all our needs so all our bills groceries etc it then gets paid off every pay day. Its been hard for me not spending more than we have but with a little self control & a snarling DP it works :p
We also make sure everything we spend goes into our budget so we cant see everytime we spend X amount how much we have left etc.

[Mischief]

I voted YES for an emergency....but my credit card is actually a savings account linked to a visa card...so if I dont put money in there, there is no credit. :)

We cant be trusted with credit cards, so I've gotten rid of them all. The only loan we have now is our home loan....consolidated everything inc the credit cards! LOL

[EskimoMumma]

I do not have one nor will I ever want one.

I know I'm not so good with money.

[pookiesossige]

Ours keeps our money offsetting our loan- it's a good thing for us. Really helps out with paying less interest on our morgage and it's paid off monthly anyway.
However, there is this other one... it's looking nasty and I'm getting rid of it asap!!

[~Danni~]

we didn't want to ever get one but then we bought our furnature on finance which is atomatically put onto a credit card:( we then got a balance transfer to another company who increased our limit :eek: (we were paying near 20% intrest an now only 4%:D)

we say we will use it if there is ever an emergency and I carry it just incase I need it for an emergency taxi or somthing but we refuse to use it for everyday purchases:rolleyes:

as soon as the furnature is paid off we are closing the account though cos the banks atomatically include your credit limit as a disadvantage when applying for home loans cos there is the chance you could get into that amount of debt.

[Jules16]

We have used ours to help us with setting up our business and now we have transferred the balance over to an interest free for six months. We have split the balance due to six equal payments and will have it paid off in six months. And of course we ripped up the cards as soon as we got them.

Am interested in getting one that's good for points though - any suggestions? Not interested in paying any annual fees though.

[jessgray]

i dont have one neither does DP. DP says ia m not aloud to have one lol

[Tulp]

Yep DH and I have em but we've never paid any interest on repayments. CCs are good to have especially when travelling and we do some travelling so it makes sense to have em.

In Singapore you can't apply for a credit card unless you have a minimum income qualification of $30,000 pa. I am sensing they are giving them away here.

[FourAngelKisses]

Sometimes, having a credit card is the only way you can get a credit rating. DH and I can't get finance on things like white goods and furniture, so we need a CC.

[Lil X-men]

Credit cards are dangerous in the wrong hands.
I voted no and dont want one, although we do have a visa Debit card which is fantastic for things that need to be paid with a credit card, like our insurance that we pay monthly and booking air tickets and other things online.
Using the debit cards means we dont spend if we dont have the money!!

[Pixie]

Yes I have 2 one is never ever used I have it as all my family lives in the UK and if I need to get a ticket quickly it's there for me to use it always. Thankfully I never have had to use it.

The other is our shopping one we use it for everything 55 interest free days at 11.5% it's great I am very controlled though.

[MummyCharmzy]

no i dont have one nor want one. I dont like buying things I can't pay for up front. I think its a bad habit to get into!

[CJJHRA]

Dont have one, dont want one, I know I would be hopless with it and dnt get one to avoid the temptation.

For emergencies, its better I think, to put $50 a month away, then if an emergency pops up, you dont have to p it back

[Deity]

I have a VISA Debit card. I have a different card for my savings account but my VISA is used for on line purchases - cos, as we know, everything is cheaper if you buy it on line but you need a stinky VISA or Mastercard to do most things on line.

BUT with the debit card you don't get wacked with interest or accrue a debt because you are only spending money you already have like savings accounts. It is just more versatile than eftpos cards I guess. I got mine from ANZ but they will probably have them at other banks too.

[damien's mum]

I can't picture me with a cc, i think i would be good for the first few weeks, and then i would just run up so much debit, lol, i have a debit card! Only so i can use ebay, lol sad isnt it haha:thumbsdown:

[FourAngelKisses]

K, I have to ask....what's a debit card? Never heard of them before.

[Deity]

Ok I'll take the floor if I may. What you need to do is go to your bank and ask them for some information, Debit Cards are very cool. You know how with your savings card you can only spend money that you put into the account? Well the Debit Card is the same.

It debits the account that you have already credited with funds via a bank transfer, cash transaction at the counter in the bank or whatever and then you use the VISA where necessary.

Mine is pink and it is really cute so I like using it even when I could use my savings account - like in a shop or something cos the shop assistant always says "wow, pink, that's cute".

Anyway, the neat thing about the Debit Card is that when you can't use your access/key card like ordering airline tickets, concert tickets, using ebay/online shops etc. you can make the purchases rather than miss out. The ticky little hobits's sneak a great bargain in IF you use your credit card.

It seems like it is every financial institution's intention to send the nation into a financial depression, but here's where the Debit Card stick's it's proverbial middle finger up and sticks it to the man cos you are not going to get into debt cos you are only spending the money that is IN YOUR ACCOUNT.

The VISDA Debit Card is not a line of credit it is means to use a better form of payment without the hassle of interest, fees etc AND you do not need a credit check. How cool is that - it's the win win situation for everyone; I would definitely recommend it to anyone - as you can see! :ecomcity:

[Ana Gram]

Mine is pink and it is really cute


Mine is black! And it has guns on it.

[blessedmummy]

yeah.. i admit.. we did have three but all 3 went over the limit and now 2 of them no longer work,(we cant use them anymore) so we slowly paying them off.. but still use one occasionally, but paying that off slowly too, wish we didnt have them in the first place! sigh!

Me25
Dh25:hugs:
Emily3:smiliedance:
Clare22months:smiliedance:
another bub someday... yay!!:smiliedance:

[Deity]

Chellegoth, yours sound rough and tough. It would shoot little pink holes in mine!

[oleander]

I have one. i actually dont know what Id do without it. I buy things online like baby stuff, ebay stuff, airline tickets ect. Especially, since I live in Adelaide and there isnt all the shops here that the other states have. A girl's gotta shop! :p

[mrsd]

We use ours for just about everything (we have difficulty when we need to use cash - what is it:laughing: ) but it is always paid off before the end of the interest-free period.

[shanz]

We dont have one,have never needed one. we have multi access savings accounts,so we can use our own money but like a CC.

[BOSS302WMOM]

WE pay cash for everything and if we dont have enough to buy it with cash we dont buy it.........if its something we really need we will give up something else to get it.

There was one point were dh started a new job and the boss lied to get him to work for him(a total toss) and we had to survive on $300 p/w when we were use to nearly a grand a week, we had $600 worth of bills and could only afford to feed dd so we lived on staples(me&dh) to feed and clothe her. We sold what we could including our second car after using ALL our saavings for our home deposit, but dont regret it a credit card is not esssential if you really need something there are other ways to get.

[Tam-I-Am]

I also have a Visa debit card attached to my everyday account. Its a win-win situation. I get to use it like a credit card (ie make internet purchases, book hotel rooms etc), but I'm only ever using my own money. Its fantastic! I dont' know how I lived without it.

But I am NEVER getting a credit card. Too dangerous.

[indigoin0z]

bad, bad, bad....

hubby has 3 in his name - jointed to me...

1 was thru finance for computer, NOW they have switched to regular CC to suck people in to use it easier...

other 2 were just to help us out [credit rating for car] when we first started out...

but get this,

we have been on a centrelink benefit since my second child was born [because of my illness - long story] & the CC have given us increases with no financial check!!
we are living on less than $500 a week - family of 4 & they have increased our funds at least once each & the other 3 times..

a certain KNOWN ripoff company [hint Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeee]
has this new sly thing, where their card is no longer named with them,
but is still owned etc.. go mastercd
we log on to our site to work out how this new card site works to check statement info etc,
they have in their left hand column a thing where it says increase your limit - we were just clicking on items in the column to see where it took us, [we think its deliberately set up non-informative]
when we clicked on increase your limit in the menu,
it said if you would like an increase you need to fill out this online form & then they will check it, well we NEVER did [trying to fix our past errs!]
& a week later we had limit increase of $1500 etc without our permission!!!
when we rang them & said how is this so, they said,
you are a special/valued [i think that was the word they used?] customer & your increase did not need checking because we were not considered a risk!... [we had just finally paid it off in total, 2 months previous]

they hadnt even checked to see if we could afford it!!!!


IMHO... they are not necessary to have anymore, they used to seem to be, because it was like you had no freedom to purchase in places you want to, but now with debit cards, THERE IS NO REASON unless you prefer living above your means...

needless to say i will be teaching my kids from the start how good it feels to earn something you buy.. & to not owe anything to anyone.
so even if they do end up with an addictive personality or some other totally human weakness, they will hopefully be able to fight thru the urges!

unlike mum & dad, :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
who were totally baited [caught off guard] by the surprise increase, that they went & bought a lounge - [we didnt have one & the boys sit on beanbags on our cold tile floor...]
& this time it totally didnt even pay off like an impusle buy anyway, we still dont even have our lounge, because it takes 6 weeks:eek:

[bronny-jane]

we use ours alot, mainly cause we have dug ourselves into debt:D

[bronny-jane]

1 was thru finance for computer, NOW they have switched to regular CC to suck people in to use it easier...


a certain KNOWN ripoff company [hint Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeee]
has this new sly thing, where their card is no longer named with them,
but is still owned etc..

:D we had a bad time with ge money, we thought it was just finance but boy were we wrong, we used the cash for our wedding:eek: , when time came we got a loan for a car and to pay ge off, the wouldnt send us a fax telling us our payout price, we were lied to for over a week, i eventually got into contact with their complaints people and the lady was really good i had the fax in 30 mins

[Hokey Pokey]

We have a master card with only $300 limit on it so it is easy for us to pay it off before interest occurs.

[bma_one]

We have one that goes with our Mortgage Offset account - so we put practically EVERYTHING we can on VISA - but we always pay it off on the due date so never pay any interest.

[Milliner]

Yep I have one but I only use it when I need to pay for things over the phone or the net. I pay it off straight away

[mum2bubba]

Grant has a GE card that we use for funiture and stuff for the house (fridge etc).

[~mia&ryan~]

We have 2. Use them for everyday things and bills then pay them off completely at the end of the month. They are great if you use them right.

[Cheekychops]

We use ours constantly but never pay interest on it.....ie. we pay off the full amount every month...... it works better for the interest on our home loan or something to do it that way????

We just treat it like cash, if we don't have the cash, we don't pull out the card if that makes sense

[neeky]

we dont have one. we have a debit card so we can buy things on the net etc if necessary.

although dp decided we should get one coz he worked out a way for us to play the credit card game and make money off it. grrrr... lucky they wouldnt let him get one!! LOL

although sometimes i think it would be good for when our car breaks down and we have no money. Luckily we have a nice mechanic and they let us pay whatever we can until we get payed next! :rolleyes:

[shorty_851]

I will never get one again i was a victim of credit card fruad

[*~alegna~*]

we Do have 1 but its in DH's name, so I can't use it.....:devil6:

[Mister Noodle]

Oh hell no.

We use Visa Debit (or equivalent) - all the convenience, online transactions, etc, but you never get a single cent into debt.

And if you are the victim of fraud, you can't lose money you don't have.

This comforts me enormously.

[Oscar's mum]

No I don't have one and I do not want one at all. The thought of debt scares the heck out of me;)

[QTB]

We dont have one and dont want one it would be great for net purchases, but then thats dangerous on my part cos it would be maxed out LOL so no, dont want one - or need one.

[~EmsMum~]

I have a credit/debit card

[Zada]

I have a visa card. Its only in my name so DH cant use it :devil6:
Saying that though its only for emergancies or if we have the money to pay it straight back.

[FunkyMonkey]

I have 2 & DF has 1 CC's and wish it was none. I have had to go back to work early to pay them off so that we can afford to stop renting and buy our own house.
Once they are paid off they are outta here.

[BlessedWithBlue]

Df has a visa and he and i both have a mastercard but they will be paid off very soon and we will only keep the visa account open for emergencies. I have a visa debit card which is great so that will be the only form of credit we will be using very soon!!